First Survivor


Non-Fiction - Memoir
185 Pages
Reviewed on 06/10/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite

We claim to be in charge of our lives until we are forced into alien territory; however, these are the circumstances that push us to explore our strengths and weaknesses. This is what happened when Louis, the three-year-old child of Mark Unger, the author, and his wife, Mary Ellen, was diagnosed with cancer. If such a small kid is bedridden even for a day, it breaks the hearts of their mom and dad so nobody can even begin to anticipate the kind of shock and pain that Mary Ellen and Mark Unger endured when such a devastating diagnosis presented itself. First Survivor by Mark Unger is the documentation of various aspects of that phase of their lives. They were not from medical backgrounds and all the medical lingo seemed very difficult to them. How could they help their child if they would not be able to understand their own child's treatment plan? The author came up with the solution of making regular notes. He wrote down everything that the doctors prescribed, suggested, or said related to Louis' condition. If there was any word that was foreign to his ears, he made a note to look it up later. He would make a list of questions and research the best professionals and hospitals to cure Louis. These tasks created an illusion for him of being in charge of this ordeal.

While he was doing this, his wife concentrated on Louis. She told him stories, showered him with immense love, gave her undivided attention, and ensured that he got all his medication on time. Together, Mary Ellen and Mark Unger made an excellent team to fight a battle of grave uncertainty. The sight of your child being poked by various devices is quite overwhelming, but they remained strong because giving up was not an option. Louis' bravery during the intense, painful, and extremely intrusive procedures is both inspiring and heart-wrenching. You want to see a child who is laughing merrily and playing around, not enduring an unimaginably painful series of medical procedures. The gifts that many relatives, friends, and organizations sent for Louis provided a sense of support to the parents. Reading about this gave me a direction for the future. Earlier I used to wonder how can I offer support if anybody is going through a struggle of this kind. Now, thanks to the author, I know there are many ways to comfort a patient and their family. The regular updates that the author kept sending to his friends, family, and colleagues were also very valuable. I fell in love with the family pictures that he has included in the book.

First Survivor by Mark Unger is not an ordinary book. It is for readers who are either struggling with cancer or are caregivers to a child in a similar condition. The right audience for this book includes the people who wish to understand what it takes to fight a battle in which odds are very badly stacked against you. Despite the medical jargon, there is an emotional element present throughout the narrative that will keep readers praying for Louis' and his parents' sufferings to end. My heart goes out to Mark Unger, Mary Ellen, Harry, and -- of course -- brave Louis.

Dwayne Kratt

What a rollercoaster. We are recent family friends of the Unger’s. We knew vaguely about LOUIS but until reading this book I really didn’t know the rest of the story. This is the kind of book that is both educational and inspirational. While reading the book I felt an assortment of emotions as Mark shared his family’s journey and emotions - dread, empathy, hopefulness and ultimately joyful success. This book is definitely worth a read and we are honored that this experience was shared by the Unger family and that we call them our friends.